A section of the Chekka-Batroun highway, closed in January 2019 due to a landslide. Since then, drivers have been diverted around the site. (Credit: OLJ/archive)
BEIRUT — The Public Works Ministry has authorized Marada Movement’s Joseph Michel Najem, a candidate in May’s parliamentary elections, to repave a road in Batroun at his own expense, a spokesperson for the Public Affairs Ministry confirmed Friday to L’Orient Today.
Here’s what we know:
• According to the National News Agency, Najem, who is running in the constituency of North Lebanon III, in the Batroun district, announced earlier today that the Public Works Ministry had given him permission to repave holes on the highway between Jbeil and Chekka from both sides and that “the [repaving] works have started today.”
• Najem said that “automobile drivers that have taken this road have struggled a lot from the damages that have been caused to their cars due to the holes on the highway.”
• The Marada candidate also said that considering the situation “there was a need for an initiative that lifts the struggle off people and limits car accidents which have been taking place due to the holes in the road.”
• When asked about why the ministry is authorizing actions that many would consider as bribery from candidates to their supporters, a Public Works Ministry spokesperson declined to comment on the matter saying “we are against bribery and the ministry is struggling financially.”